They prowl our bends and sofas, invisible to us, but hugely allergenic. Here’s the latest on dust mites, and what you can do to protect your family. -From Allergic Living magazine’s Spring 2014 magazine.

They’re tiny enough that you can’t even see them with the naked eye – but as millions of people around the world can attest, dust mites pack a big wallop when it comes to allergies and asthma. In fact, it’s estimated that 84 percent of U.S. homes contain dust mite allergen, and it’s one of the most common and potent allergy and asthma triggers.

So what exactly are these little freeloaders? Why do they love us so much? How come they make us so miserable? And most importantly, which ways of getting rid of them actually work? You might be surprised.

THE MITE LIFE

Some medical websites claim that dust mites are so tiny, there can be as many as 40,000 of them in a single speck of dust. But that’s far from the truth, according to Dr. Jay Portnoy, director of allergy, asthma and immunology at Children’s Mercy Hospital and professor of medicine at the University of Missouri in Kansas. Portnoy, who recently co-authored extensive new guidelines for physicians who treat dust mite allergies, says the mites are small, but they are almost the same size as many dust particles. In fact, they are just outside our range of vision so they can be seen with even the most basic microscope.

While they look like they could be distant relatives of the beetle, dust mites are not actually insects; they are arachnids with close biological ties to spiders, crabs and shrimp. But unlike their web-building and seafaring cousins, dust mites’ favorite food is skin scales, which is why they flock to mattresses, carpets and upholstered furniture where people’s dead skin tends to accumulate. (Their scientific name is Dermatophagoides, which means “skin eating.”)

Dust mites live roughly two to four months, and are hungry for moisture; in fact, they need a steady supply in order to survive. By weight, dust mites are roughly 75 percent water, and they can’t drink, so they rely entirely on absorbing moisture from the environment around them through glands at the base of their front legs. That’s why in dry climates, dust mites are almost nowhere to be found – even in dusty spaces.

“They’re basically bags of water with legs, so they don’t tolerate drying out,” says Portnoy, who worked with 22 other top experts to produce Environmental Assessment and Exposure Control: A Practice Parameter, Dust Mites for physicians. “So it can be very dusty in Denver, but they don’t have any dust mites because it’s persistently so dry that dust mites don’t survive. In Florida it’s so humid that you can’t get rid of them. They’re everywhere.”

In most climates, mite populations increase in summer, when humidity is high, and peak in the fall – which experts suspect is part of the reason asthma rates are so high at that time of year. They begin to taper off in winter when it’s colder and drier. By late winter and early spring, populations are usually at their lowest.

SO WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

They also poop a lot – roughly 20 times a day – and those fecal pellets are the major source of the powerful allergens they produce. The tiny pellets are just the right size to become easily airborne, too, so even walking across a carpet, sitting on a sofa, or moving a pillow can send them flying - and into people’s airways. Once the pellets get kicked up, they don’t settle back down for 15 to 30 minutes.

“When mites eat skin cells, they have enzymes they use to digest them. And when the little fecal pellets come out, the enzymes are in those pellets and they serve as very potent allergens,” says Portnoy. “And when you inhale it’s just the right size to get deep into the lungs and cause an asthma attack.”

But the little pests aren’t only causing problems with the air we breathe; in rare instances they have also stirred up trouble with our food. Dust mites and other types of allergen-producing mites can contaminate grain flour, and systemic reactions from hives to anaphylaxis have been reported in dust mite-allergic people after eating pancakes, grits, beignets and other grain-containing foods.

The allergens are so stable that cooking doesn’t help; as a result, Portnoy recommends that people with mite allergies keep their flour in sealed plastic containers - and that people who experience allergic reactions to grain flour, but test negative for allergy to the grain, should also be tested for allergy to mites.

There’s also an intriguing shellfish link: tropomyosin, one of the major allergenic proteins in dust mites, is also present in shrimp, lobster and crab. A few studies suggest an allergy to dust mites may make some individuals more susceptible to reacting to a crustacean dinner. But the connection is unclear, and the new guide- lines don’t recommend avoiding shellfish simply because of a dust mite allergy. Allergists point out that dust mite allergy is far more common than shellfish allergy, so one does not necessarily lead to the other,

Next: How to Get Rid of Them

]]>http://allergicliving.com/2015/03/19/the-mighty-dust-mite/feed/0Profile: Author John Grisham’s Allergy Mysteryhttp://allergicliving.com/2012/04/10/profile-author-john-grishams-allergy-mystery/
http://allergicliving.com/2012/04/10/profile-author-john-grishams-allergy-mystery/#commentsTue, 10 Apr 2012 19:14:48 +0000http://allergicliving.com/?p=13171He’s known for his bestselling novels and the hit films they inspired: The Firm, A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, The Client, to name a few. His dashing protagonists unlock secrets, ferret out corruption, and bring culprits to justice. But 13 years ago author John Grisham found himself caught in his own personal thriller, this one a frightening medical mystery.

Something was causing him to experience unnerving allergic reactions, sometimes in the middle of the night. His skin felt “on fire” with welts that would swell and itch – but what was behind the outbreaks? And how to stop them?

After consulting a physician and keeping a log of every morsel he ate for months, Grisham uncovered the bizarre cause of his misery: red meat (beef, pork and other mammals’ meat). What he didn’t know at the time was that the allergy is linked to tick bites. And Virginia, where Grisham’s family lives on a farm, is tick central.

In fact, University of Virginia researchers were among the first to document the tick-meat allergy connection, in part because renowned UVA allergist Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills himself developed meat allergy after being bitten by ticks.

What makes the allergy particularly confounding to track is that it causes delayed reactions, often over four hours after eating meat.

Despite his busy schedule of writing, speaking, and supporting good causes, Grisham manages to keep his allergy in check both at home (in Virginia and Mississippi) and on the road.

The prolific author is always writing – in 2013, he published Sycamore Row (the sequel to A Time to Kill), and the fourth installment in his young adult series, Theodore Boone (the kid lawyer who happens to have asthma), and in late 2014, he released Gray Mountain, a legal suspense novel.

The author found time to sit down in his Charlottesville, Virginia office with Allergic Living contributor Mary Esselman to discuss his bedeviling allergy, making frequent reference to his meticulous log notes.

On the beginning of his odd allergy.

“The first [reaction] was in June of 2002. I noticed some rashes on my ankles. I remember thinking, ‘This is weird, both ankles.’” [He didn’t think it was a big deal.]

“Then in July 2002, I went with my wife to an annual garden club dinner, and she had prepared these huge beef tenderloins that I had grilled. And while I was cooking, I was shaving some off to sample. By the time we got to the garden club party, my ears were really, really itching. I got my wife and said, ‘Renee, something’s going on.’

There was a doctor there, and he gave me an antihistamine. My skin was on fire.

So we got in the car, and I was so desperate I stripped down, took off all my clothes but my boxer shorts, and I had all the air [conditioning vents] blowing on me, and you could just see the welts. The skin was just welting up. It almost made me nauseated just watching my skin.”

[He wrote down in the food log his doctor advised him to keep that it was beef. The penny began to drop.] “It was always beef.”

On developing delayed reactions.

“Two weeks later, we went to a baseball game in Shea Stadium with the kids, and I had a hot dog. And this is when the weird stuff started happening because from that point on [the reactions] were all delayed [by four or five hours after eating]. I’d be asleep – and when you wake up you know you’re in big-time trouble.

I remember standing in the hotel bathroom, Renee was putting damp cloths on my skin, and you can just see it: down your legs, and right into your midsection is where it just really welts up. The inside of your forearms – there have been times when I would scratch until it almost would bleed. You just cannot stop scratching.

So the plot thickens. There were 11 episodes in 2002-2003. By then I’m writing notes to myself, ‘No red meat, you idiot.’ Because it was pork – my favorite pork ribs from a restaurant in Memphis one time – sausage, bacon, ham. Lamb one time. I finally just stopped eating red meat.”

]]>http://allergicliving.com/2012/04/10/profile-author-john-grishams-allergy-mystery/feed/5Novel Dust Mite Vaccine on Its Wayhttp://allergicliving.com/2011/12/12/dust-mite-vaccine-on-its-way/
http://allergicliving.com/2011/12/12/dust-mite-vaccine-on-its-way/#commentsMon, 12 Dec 2011 18:31:25 +0000http://allergicliving.com/?p=12458If you’re one of the 20 million Americans with an allergy to house dust mites, then you probably know that relief can sometimes be found with allergy shots, also known as immunotherapy. But signing up for years of weekly needles isn’t for everyone. So many of us continue to simply treat the symptoms – the congestion, the sneezing, the itchy eyes and even asthma flare-ups.

But a new study could change that. Researchers at Monash University in Australia are working on a dust-mite vaccine that, if successful, would have the potential to cure sufferers in just two to three doses. Professor Els Meeusen is applying her experience in infectious disease vaccines to the world of allergy. She believes the addition of a new ingredient into the vaccine could be the magic bullet allergy sufferers have been waiting for.

Allergic Living’s Kim Shiffman spoke with Els Meeusen to find out what that ingredient is, and when the vaccine might be available.

Why focus on immunotherapy as a treatment for dust mite allergy?

It’s the only treatment that could be a cure. All the others are just to keep allergic symptoms under control, but they don’t cure anything.

How would your vaccine be different than the one that’s been available for years?

The current house dust mite allergy vaccine is given at continuously increasing doses over a period of years. You have to be very careful giving it – it can be a little bit dangerous to use because it’s not well known how it works, and if you don’t use it properly, it could cause a serious reaction. It’s also not quite clear if or when it’s going to start working, and there are no clear markers to actually assess if it’s working.

What our work will do is try to speed up the vaccine effect, a bit like in the work I do with infectious diseases, where you only have to give two or three injections before you get good immunity. If we can achieve the same immune deviation – changing the immune system by vaccination using the same principles as infectious diseases – then we may be able to have a more effective and quicker vaccination regime for house dust mite allergy.

Next Page: More questions on the vaccine

]]>http://allergicliving.com/2011/12/12/dust-mite-vaccine-on-its-way/feed/08 Surprising Allergy Facts for the Holidayshttp://allergicliving.com/2011/12/12/allergies-surprising-facts/
http://allergicliving.com/2011/12/12/allergies-surprising-facts/#commentsMon, 12 Dec 2011 17:55:27 +0000http://allergicliving.ds566.alentus.com/?p=53Some of our favorite winter things can also trigger reactions. Allergic Living gives the low-down on what to watch out for.

DECORATING

1. Scented CandlesThe thought of cinnamon or vanilla wafting through the house may be appealing, but scented candles smell of big trouble for those with allergies or chemical sensitivities.

“People who have environmental allergies such as to pollen or pets develop very sensitive inflamed nasal tissue which is hyper-reactive,” explains Ottawa allergist Dr. Antony Ham Pong. “These tissues then react more strongly to scents, and act as if they are allergens and mimic an allergic reaction.”

Plus, consider whether soy-allergic guests will be visiting before you light up that soy wax candle. While most are made from hydrogenated oil, which won’t cause an inhalant reaction, your soy-allergic guest or her child may feel uncomfortable knowing that a soy product is wafting through the air.

2. Festive SporesIf you have environmental allergies, a pine or cedar dominating the living room can bring you to sneezes and tears (or worse). Allergists warn at this time of year about “Rudolph the Reindeer Syndrome,” literally a reaction to the Christmas tree.

“Allergic reactions can occur to any pollen from the pine cones, or to mold in the bark of the tree,” Dr. Ham Pong notes. He says the tree’s resin can also cause “either eczema from contact with the skin, or nasal symptoms due to the scent.”

Mold is the biggest issue – some studies suggest household mold counts can increase as much as 10 times with a cut tree in the home. But an artificial tree can also harbor mold if it was stored in a damp basement.

Advice: Reduce the allergen load of a fresh-cut tree with a good blow-out – either taking it home on the roof of your car or subjecting it to a leaf blower on your front lawn. This gets rid of pollen grains and some mold. If mold is an asthma trigger, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America additionally suggests wiping around the tree’s trunk with a solution of 1 part bleach to 20 parts of lukewarm water. Also, wear gloves when moving a tree or boughs to avoid contact with the sap.

Or: Opt instead for a nice faux tree. Just be sure to enclose it plastic post-season, and store it in a dry spot.

3. Up in Smoke
Watch out for a roaring wood fire when visiting. As certified asthma educator Jo-Anne St. Vincent has explained in Allergic Living magazine, that can expose those with asthma or allergies to a variety of environmental triggers, including smoke and mold.

If visiting friends in a home with a trendy enclosed gas fireplace, that’s a safer bet. But even then don’t linger close by. Vincent says gas-burning fireplaces still emit nitrogen oxide, which can increase inflammation of the airways.

While manufactured fireplace logs used to be infamous for off-gassing toxic chemicals (since industrial waste was part of their composition), today these logs are much more environmentally friendly. There are still two problems though from an allergy/asthma perspective:

a) smoke, no matter how “green” still irritates sensitive airways.
b) Nut allergy concerns. Several brands make “crackling” fire logs, and they use walnut or other nut shells to achieve the sound while burning. It’s wise to avoid putting such proteins into the air around a nut-allergic individual.

Advice: Best of all is to ask close family to forgo the fire in the living room, if that’s to be the main party room.

You can’t see them, but they’re all over your home. Dust mites will be in the carpet, the sofa, the bedding, the curtains, even a child’s stuffed animals. These tiny insects, visible only under a microscope, leave a trail of waste that is a highly allergenic.

It’s estimated that between 10 and 25 per cent of North Americans are sensitized to dust mite droppings, and that these pests will spark wheezing in over 50 per cent of asthmatics. Thankfully, while you can’t get rid of dust mites completely, you can minimize their multiplying numbers.

What They Are

Dust mites, cousins to the spider, are tiny, eight-legged arachnids measuring only one-quarter to one-third of a millimetre in size. They spend their two to four months of life eating, creating waste and reproducing. A female will lay 100 eggs in her lifetime, and each mite produces about 10 to 20 waste pellets a day.

They are whitish in color, and thrive in warmth (between 75 and 80 degrees F; 24 and 26 degrees C) and humidity higher than 50 per cent. Mites eat minuscule flakes of human skin and animal dander. They can’t drink, but absorb moisture from the atmosphere.

Where They Live

Dust mites prefer a plentiful supply of skin flakes or animal dander, moisture and warmth. This is why you’ll find the highest concentration of mites in your bed. An average mattress contains between 100,000 and 10 million bugs.

A study in 2000 found that more than 45 per cent of American homes had detectable dust mite levels associated with the development of allergies, and 23 per cent had bedding with concentrations of allergen high enough to trigger asthma attacks.

What You Can Do

“The confusion about allergen avoidance is not about whether it really works, but whether it’s possible to do in an ordinary house,” says Dr. Thomas Platts-Mills, a professor of medicine and microbiology, and the chief of the division of allergy, asthma and clinical immunology at the University of Virginia Health System. “And the answer is yes, but it’s got to be done seriously.”

According to Platts-Mills, a leading dust mite researcher, there are a few keys:

• The most important plan of attack is to make sure your home is too dry for the mites to survive. Maintain a humidity level of between 40 and 50 per cent, and don’t use a humidifier, even in the winter. Consider purchasing a hygrometer (available at most major building supply stores for as little as $20) to monitor the level of moisture.

Platts-Mills adds that basements are tough to keep dry, “so don’t live in basements if you’re mite allergic.”

• A recent European study discovered that older mattresses and poor ventilation, along with sleeping on lower floors of a home, contribute to higher concentrations of dust mites in mattresses. Platts-Mills considers a mattress used for more than five years to be old, depending on how it has been treated. Ensuring that your bedroom has proper ventilation, is not in the basement or too humid, and replacing your mattress (unless it has been covered with dust-mite impermeable covers the whole time) every few years will diminish the number of mites that bunk in with you.

• Encase your mattress, duvet and pillows in mite-proof covers. Plastic is best for containing mites, but not the most comfortable to lie on. A cozier option is tightly woven fabric covers, which are usually made from polyester or a cotton/poly blend and are designed to hold up to frequent washings. Several brands are now on the market, and some have passed rigorous allergy/asthma certification.

• Though asthmatics and those with dust mite allergies have long been told to use synthetic-filled pillows and duvets, research has emerged over the past few years that indicates feather bedding may be a better option. This is because the tightly woven cotton used to keep the feathers from poking through the fabric casing also acts as a barrier to mites.

• If using plastic bed covers, wipe them down once a week with a damp cloth, and let them dry completely before dressing the bed. Cloth bedding, including fabric mite-blocking covers, should be washed weekly in water at least 130 degrees F.